<
https://theconversation.com/more-than-100-000-tourists-will-head-to-antarctica-this-summer-should-we-worry-about-damage-to-the-ice-and-its-ecosystems-192843>
"As the summer sun finally arrives for people in the Southern Hemisphere, more
than 100,000 tourists will head for the ice. Travelling on one of more than 50
cruise ships, they will brave the two-day trip across the notoriously rough
Drake Passage below Patagonia, destined for the polar continent of Antarctica.
During the COVID summer of 2020-21, just 15 tourists on two yachts visited
Antarctica. But now, tourism is back – and bigger than ever. This season’s
visitor numbers are up more than 40% over the largest pre-pandemic year.
So are all those tourists going to damage what is often considered the last
untouched wilderness on the planet? Yes and no. The industry is well run.
Tourists often return with a new appreciation for wild places. They spend a
surprisingly short amount of time actually on the continent or its islands.
But as tourism grows, so will environmental impacts such as black carbon from
cruise ship funnels. Tourists can carry in microbes, seed and other invasive
species on their boots and clothes – a problem that will only worsen as ice
melt creates new patches of bare earth. And cruise ships are hardly emissions
misers."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
